Faridabad: A 19-year-old college student from Old Faridabad’s Baselwa Colony took his own life on Saturday evening (October 25) after allegedly being blackmailed with AI-generated morphed images and videos of himself and his sisters.
Police said two unidentified individuals hacked the student’s phone and demanded Rs 20,000 to prevent the circulation of the fabricated content online.
Threats and Digital Harassment
According to investigators at the NIT police station, the deceased, identified as Rahul Bharti, was a B Com student at a local college. The blackmail began nearly ten days before his death, when the suspects allegedly gained unauthorised access to his phone and began sending altered visuals through a messaging app.
“They had created morphed pictures and images of the deceased, along with his sisters,” a senior officer from the NIT police station said, as quoted by Hindustan Times. Police added that the suspects repeatedly threatened Rahul, who grew increasingly distressed but confided in no one.
On Saturday evening, around 7:00 pm, Rahul consumed poison in his room. His family rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he died during treatment.
Chats Reveal Threats and Possible Abetment
Faridabad police spokesperson Yashpal Yadav confirmed that a case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and that efforts are underway to trace the accused. Investigators are examining Rahul’s phone records, social media accounts, and chat history to determine how the deepfake material was created.
Rahul’s father, Manoj Bharti, told police that he discovered extensive chat exchanges with a man named “Sahil”, who had allegedly created and shared the morphed visuals. The suspect reportedly demanded Rs 20,000 and later incited Rahul to take his own life, even specifying the substance he could use.
The family has also named another acquaintance, “Neeraj Bharti”, as a potential accomplice, as Rahul’s last phone call was with him.
The Bharti family, originally from Siwan in Bihar, has lived in Faridabad for five decades. Manoj works as a driver, and Rahul was his youngest child. Family members said he had withdrawn from social interactions and appeared tense in the days preceding his death.
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